Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Strengthening Wildland Fire Science and Scientific Collaboration through New Data Management Platform

June 13, 2022

Wildfires are increasing in severity and frequency worldwide. A new report called Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires indicates that wildfires are responsible for significant economic, environmental, and sociopolitical damage (UNEP, GRID-Arendal, 2021). They also contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions – thereby further fueling climate change. Researchers need to…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Robinson Negron-Juarez to Receive Honorary Degree

May 26, 2022

EESA Staff Scientist Robinson Negron-Juarez will travel to Iquitos, Peru, in July to accept an Honoris Causa from the National University of the Peruvian Amazon (Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana, UNAP). Negron-Juarez joined EESA in 2013 and contributes to the NGEE-Tropics project led by EESA and to EESA’s wildfire Element. Through his research he…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Microbial Response to a Changing and Fire-Prone Arctic Ecosystem

April 27, 2022

Burning more than 1,000 square kilometers of tundra on Alaska’s North Slope, the 2007 Anaktuvuk river wildfire is one of the largest fires to occur within Arctic ecosystems. Berkeley Lab scientist Nick Bouskill led a study that used data from this disturbance event to predict ecosystem recovery as fires advance in a changing climate. (Credit:…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Study Evaluates Phosphorus Availability Underground using Plant Leaves as Biosensors

April 25, 2022

When envisioning renewable energy, sources that often come to mind are the sun, wind, batteries, and water. However, biofuel, a type of renewable energy that converts organic material from plants into liquid fuel, is an important part of a global effort to achieve net-zero emissions. Switchgrass, a deep-rooted native North American grass that grows in…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Researchers Investigate How Changes in Small-Scale Environmental Conditions Impact Microbial Structure and Function

April 25, 2022

Just one teaspoon of soil or sediment can contain up to one billion microbes. These microorganisms in Earth’s subsurface, although invisible, largely influence the global carbon cycle through their ability to break down organic material, which releases carbon dioxide in the process. However, environmental conditions within Earth’s subsurface such as moisture, nutrient availability, and…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

EESA Study Closes Knowledge Gaps of Drought Impacts on Microbial Activity

April 25, 2022

Climate change is leading to an increase in many vivid impacts, such as more frequent wildfires and floods. However, there are many effects of climate change that can’t be seen from miles away – or even seen at all. The intensity and frequency of drought is predicted to increase along with higher temperatures. Droughts can…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

EESA Researchers Develop Open-Source Code for Modeling Soil Biogeochemistry

April 22, 2022

Senior scientist William Riley and several EESA collaborators have published a chapter of a new book on soil biogeochemistry. Published in March, the book Multi-Scale Biogeochemical Processes in Soil Ecosystems: Critical Reactions and Resilience to Climate Changes was developed to provide a state-of-the-art overview of research in soil biogeochemical processes and strategies for greenhouse…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Berkeley Lab Team Hunts for Carbon in Soil Without Getting Their Hands Dirty

April 14, 2022

This article was published first at newscenter.lbl.gov. Soil imaging with neutrons can give a quick, detailed look at the amount and distribution of carbon (and certain other important elements) in soil without disturbing the soil or plant roots Soil imaging with neutrons can give a quick, detailed look at the amount and distribution of…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

New Research Demonstrates Method for Rapidly Characterizing Watershed Organization and Function Using Zone-based Approach

March 16, 2022

More than half of earth’s freshwater comes from mountainous watersheds – areas of land that catch precipitation and drain to nearby streams, lakes, and rivers. These ecosystems provide services such as water filtration, nutrient cycling and carbon storage that can significantly impact the amount of clean, freshwater critical for energy production, agriculture, and municipal water…

Post Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Dead or alive? Modeling how microorganisms in soil shape the global carbon cycle

March 3, 2022

Microbe images imposed on Earth. Credit Berkeley Lab

Living soil microorganisms are extremely powerful and incredibly diverse biogeochemical engines driving the turnover of organic matter in the terrestrial biosphere. However, it is not only in life that microbes control the future of the global carbon cycle and Earth system productivity. In fact, dead microbial biomass, or necromass, is one of the largest stocks…